Friday, June 27, 2014

IT is never easy to prophesy correctly, even if successful
prophecy is little more than intelligent anticipation. The
following notes, therefore, are intended less as an indication of
the future than as possible suggestions.

Among the early bulbous Irises there seems little hope of new
developments, unless we can hold in check the fungous disease
which plays such havoc among the bulbs. If we could overcome and
eradicate this, there would be no end to the delightful series of
beautiful hybrids which might be raised by crossing the richly
coloured, velvety-petalled I. Bakeriana with the other species.
The yellow I. Danfordiae might also be used to give us entirely
new forms.

The Juno species seem to suffer from an undeserved neglect, for
there are few finer garden sights in April than a large mass of
the glistening, sturdy foliage of I. bucharica, closely set with
the large white and yellow flowers; while the endless variety of colouring to be found among
seedlings of the gorgeous I. Rosenbachiana well repays the
patience which is needed during the three or four years that the
bulbs require to grow from seed to flowering size. The later
bulbous Irises, comprising I. Xiphium, the Spanish Iris and the
kindred species, seem to have fallen under a cloud, from which
they will hardly emerge until some remedy is found for eel-worm in
the soil, for this pest appears to be as fatal to Spanish Irises
as it is to the Narcissus. If this can be overcome, the
multiplication of the florists' varieties, both of the Spanish and
of the Dutch Iris, will go on; but we cannot expect much from
their combination with any of the allied wild species, though
these are distinct enough in themselves. They do not seem to
combine well either with one another or with I. Xiphium. Thus I.
filitolia, when hybridised, loses its magnificent red- purple
colour ; I. Boissieri has the long hairs of its beard shorn down
to half their length; while the clear golden yellow of I. juncea
becomes dull and streaky.

Of Oncoyclus and Regelia Irises I am distinctly more hopeful than
there seemed any justification for being a few years ago.
Experience seems to show that these must all be dug up annually
about the middle of July. The rhizomes may then be left lying out on the ground for a few days,
provided that the sun is not too incessantly brilliant and
scorching. They should then be trimmed of their leaves and be
stored away, preferably in perfectly dry sand, in a
well-ventilated, dry place, until the first week in October. The
rhizomes and the roots should, with this treatment, remain firm
and be ready to start into root growth as soon as they are
replanted in rich, well- drained soil. At one time it used to be
thought that the soil must first be beaten and trodden down until
it was almost as hard as a rock, but this seems unnecessary, in
view of the way in which these Irises flourish in the loose sand
of Haarlem and in the drier, but equally light, Surrey sands.

To my mind, the fault of the Regelia-cyclus hybrids that are
already in commerce is that they are nearly all of them mere
colour variations of the same type of flower. When we remember,
however, how utterly different I.paradoxa is from I. susiana and from I. iberica, and how each of
these latter differ from the aptly named I. acutiloba and from the
rounded, self-coloured flowers of the purple I. Mariae and its
yellow counterpart, I. urmiensis, I cannot help feeling that
crosses with these species might give us new types. Evidence to
confirm this exists in the pleasing results that have resulted
from crossing I. acutiloba and I. Sari with I. Korolkowi. The
former gives very floriferous hybrids with the extended falls of
acutiloba and the prominent veining of Korolkowi, while the latter
retains the shape of I. Sari and something of the colouring that
won for that species the name of the Wolf Iris, I. lupina.
No hybrids have yet appeared of I. Hoogiana, the last discovered
and most astonishing member of the Regelia section. Its unveined,
self-coloured flowers of pale or dark blue- purple are so
beautiful that it seems almost sacrilege to attempt to hybridise into them the veinings and
dottings of the other Regelia and Oncocyclus species, with which
there would probably be no difficulty in making crosses.
Nothing has, so far, been said about the great class of Pogoniris
or bearded Irises, which to so many comprises practically all the
Irises that they know. Here the tendency is to aim at increased
stature and a more widely branching habit in the inflorescence, qualities which are obtained
by using as parents I. trojana and other giant species, such as I.
mesopotamica and I. cypriana, which have now become more widely
distributed. Whether we should aim at self-colours or at
variegation in the flowers is a matter of personal taste and it is
devoutly to be hoped that no self- constituted body of florists
will attempt to lay down strict canons on this or on similar
points and then try to ensure that all our Irises should conform
to these canons.
For garden ornament it is hard to find anything more decorative
than self-coloured pallidas, which can be obtained in a long
series of shades from a deep blue-purple to a pale pink. If
pallidas are, as a whole, later than the so-called I. germanica, it is easy to obtain an early race by
crossing I. pallida with I. Albertii, from Turkestan. The
characteristic veining on the falls, which ends so abruptly and
which is typical of the species, is not sufficiently prominent, except at close quarters, to spoil the
effect of self-coloured flowers. At the other end of the season
something might be done towards prolonging it by using the
late-flowering Black Prince. Seedlings of this tend to retain the
late-flowering habit, and, as there is a large dose of I.
variegata blood in Black Prince, forms with yellow standards are
sure to appear among them. It remains for the hybridiser to get
rid of the stunted stem, the crowded inflorescence, and the ugly
form of the flowers, with their erect, widely separated standards.

Among the Evansias something good might come from the crossing of
I. Wattii, which does so well when planted out in a cool house. It
ought to cross with I. japonica and possibly also with I. tectorum
and I. Milesii, if these two could be forced into flower early
enough. I. tectorum and I. Milesii seem themselves to be so
closely related that it is surprising that all attempts to
cross-fertilise them have hitherto ended in failure, though a
combination of the large flowers of I. tectorum with the tall stem
and sturdy foliage of I. Milesii ought to make a most effective
garden plant.

Among the Apogons or beardless species there is still scope for
much work in hybridisation. The members of the various groups of
obviously closely related species hybridise fairly readily with
one another, and it is also possible to cross members of different
groups with one another. For instance, the Californian I. tenax
will cross with the Chinese I. Wilsonii, and the hybrid bears
curiously speckled, dull purplish flowers with a yellow ground. I.
Douglasiana crossed with the Himalayan I. Clarkei gives a mottled,
pinkish flower of no great merit, but, when crossed with the
Chinese I. chrysographes, gives a beautiful flower of a crushed
strawberry colour, with gold veining on the falls.
Those who will take the trouble to raise seedlings should turn
their attention to the group of Californian species, of which it
seems true in many cases that no two individual plants produce
flowers of the same shade of colour. The variety to be found among seedlings of I. Douglasiana,
I. tenax, and I. macrosiphon is endless, and, as the plants flower
in two years from seed, no one need hesitate to embark upon their
cultivation. The seeds should be sown in pots or pans, and the
young plants are best grown on quickly under glass, so that they
are large enough to be planted out in the open in their permanent
positions in May if possible, or, at any rate, before midsummer.
They should then grow rapidly and develop before the autumn into
plants of sufficient strength to pass safely through the winter.

The Sibirica group has lately been extended by the new
introductions from China, and all its members seem to hybridise
readily with one another. Much may be done with the older and
well-known species, I. sibirica and I. orientalis, for the large
flowers and brilliant colouring of the latter can be readily
combined with the tall stature and floriferous habit of the
former, while 'the crossing of the white with the blue forms of
either species will give seedlings a nearer approach to a true
sky-blue than is found in any other Iris. The yellow Chinese I. Wilsonii will give a yellow ground to I.
sibirica and to I. Delavayi, and the combination is particularly
pleasing in the latter case.

Two of our native species, I. Pseudacorus and I. foetidissima, do
not seem to lend themselves at all readily to hybridisation with
others. I. Pseudacorus seems to reproduce itself with whatever
pollen the flowers are fertilised, and nothing ,seems able to
fertilise I. foetidissima except its own pollen. It is true that
there exists a plant which appears to be a hybrid between I.
Pseudacorus and its closest ally, namely, the American I.
versicolor, but no record exists of the origin of the hybrid. Its
sterility is some indication of its hybrid origin and its
intermediate position between the two above-named species suggests
that they were its parents.

Hybridisation is a fascinating pursuit, and enough has already
perhaps been said to show that much remains still to be done among
Irises, especially when we remember that crosses that have often
been tried in vain may at length prove successful.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

A
New Zealand Bred standard dwarf iris from the '70's. Standards
and falls are are a clean lime-wash apricot colouring with darker
apricot brown veins around the beard which spill towards the falls .
Great increase, and good health. If you can find it , buy it!! Lucy
Delany contributed hugely to New Zealand's Iris breeding History
registering 20 irises mainly dwarfs and median irises, and her amazing
navy blue coloured siberian iris 'Moon Moth' is an absolute stand-out!.

The Iris Yearbook (BIS), 1974, Modern Trends in Dwarfs,page 93, Barbara B. Whitehouse.
The "ray" pattern is similar to the halo pattern but consists of longer
veined like streaks of darker or contrasting colours spreading out over
the falls around the beard and covering a larger area than does the
halo, which is seldom no more than ¾ to ⅜ inch in length. Several very nice irises show this pattern..............................'Lianne' (Lucy Delany '73) light, gold-apricot with brown ray pattern.

The Iris Yearbook (BIS), 1983,Dwarf bearded Iris from New Zealand, page 97, C.E. C. Bartlett.
In the summer of 1981 I received ten rhizomes of some dwarf bearded irises from New ZealandLianne (Lucy Delany '72) Sdlg X Orange Blaze. S.D.B. A most
attractive little iris at the lower end of the S.D.B.range. Standards
pale apricot gold, falls same with veined halo of brown around the white
tipped orange beards. A good grower and increaser and the colour is
rather unusual. Its quality is confirmed by it having received 4th place in the Vienna Trails in 1979.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Winter Olympics is an iris of excellent quality, an absolute classic, and a much deserved multi award winner. A very clean healthy grower with
great clump forming vigour. Plenty of blooms held on strong stems that
can withstand most weather conditions. A tough but beautiful Iris with
great attributes making a great Iris for beginners. It is also very
fertile both ways and sets pods easily. Many irisarians and home
gardeners are happy to have just one white iris but you can't lump me in
with that crowd. I've said it before and I'll say it again, all gardens
can never have enough 'White Irises', they give a balance that is
unbeatable and after all nothing clashes with white.Photo taken in the morning mist. The tiny water droplets in the mist make the light scatter which greatly softens the background giving a painted on canvas texture look. I quite like it!

Bulletin of the American Iris Society, January, 1963.
Number 168.Northwest Impressions, Joseph Gatty.
Prior to meeting Tom and Opal I had heard nothing but good reports
of their white seedling out of POET'S DREAM X ELEANOR'S PRIDE. I
was not disappointed. WINTER OLYMPICS, as this seedling is now
called, and ready for introduction in '63, is a white-white that
lacks nothing in perfection of form, substance or branching. A
good fifty-foot row of this variety displayed remarkable
non-variation in number of branches per stalk, buds, and plant
vigor. However, it is the flower of WINTER OLYMPICS that remains
with one long after viewing it-that large but graceful white
flower that has lost none of the grace that too often disappears
with size; its ruffled elegance coupled with substance that
indicates it was bred to withstand the elements.

Bulletin of the American Iris Society, July,
1963. Number 170.Iris Trek, 1963 Robert S. Carney. Observations of Irises
irises which were performing nicely in the gardens visited
before the convention in Denver, 1963. WINTER OLYMPICS (O. Brown). An outstanding new white self with
matching beard. Good form and beautifully branched. Said to be a
good increaser.William T. Bledsoe, Fayetteville, Tennessee
WINTER OLYMPICS, by Opal Brown, and WHITE PRIDE, by Dr. Branch.
Both are very fine white selfs, and I compared them on four
separate days to try to choose between them, so I have placed them
in a tie on my
personal score. WINTER OLYMPICS has classic branching, four
branches and a terminal. WHITE PRIDE has three branches and the
terminal, but it seems to me to be ruffled in a slightly more
appealing manner. Both are terrific.

Bulletin of the American Iris Society, July,
1963. Number 170.They liked these in the Tour Gardens, Roy Oliphant, Berkeley, California
WINTER OLYMPICS (Opal Brown). This lovely ruffled white with a hint of
cream and green, will hold up its head (or should I say heads-for it
made an outstanding clump) in any company.

Bulletin of the American Iris Society, July 1964, Number 174.Reports From Region 15-Southern California. WHITES. Mrs.
Archie Owen.
WINTER OLYMPICS (Opal Brown '63). Flowers large, pure white with a
white beard. The standards are ruffled and the falls heavily
ruffled. Stalk sturdy and well branched. A beautiful iris
especially when you see three
flowers at one time on a well-branched stalk.

Cooleys Gardens, Silverton, Oregon. Iris Catalog 1965.
WINTER OLYMPICS (O. Brown, '63) Each $22.50
Domed standards and extra wide falls with elegant ruffling are
features of this sensational new white Iris. It was the leader in
the "Judges' Choice" in 1964 and was likewise first among those
which won the HM Award of the AIS last year. Will be hard to beat!

Region 14 Northern California, Nevada, Regional Bulletin, Fall 1966.1966-An Iris Season in Review, Joe Ghio.
Another bloom season has come and gone. Without a doubt this was the
finest iris season we have ever experienced in Santa Cruz.the growth was
fantastic; the height and size of the blooms was unbelievable. The
weather cooperated as never before. Generally, the days were
rainless,windless, and mild. The first tall beardeds opened early in
April and a few blooms were still around at the end of May. If only
every year could be like this one! Wow!
WHITES; this was the year of WINTER OLYMPICS (O. Brown, '63). Planted
here and there throughout our gardens, this tremendous Iris never failed
to put on a fantastic show. Tall, well branched with fabulously formed
flowers of pure white. An Iris which has everything one could wish. How
can it fail to get the Dykes when it is eligible?

The Iris Yearbook (BIS), 1970,"The newer American Introductions ", page 63, R.A.Wise.
Winter Olympics (O. Brown, 1963). This new white self is highly rated in
America and was the Dykes medal winner in 1967. The individual flowers
are heavily ruffled with domed standards and extrawide semi-flaring
falls. The stems are well branched and the bud count it is very high so
that there is a tendency for rather too many flowers to be out at once,
thus spoiling the appearance of the spike. The plant is a strong grower
in this garden and contrary to some reports does not appear to be rot prone.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

NADA when in bloom it is like a Christmas Tree on steroids, and once it starts it blooms for a very long time, but you can never tire of it. Large well feed plantings of these blooms just blow you away.

Bulletin of the American Iris Society, April 1938, Number 69. Iris notes from Southern California, Lena M. Lothrop

I managed to attend the Show for a few minutes and was very much upset. There was just one beautiful exhibit there and it was outstandingly so. It is a hybrid of Mr. Giridlian's crossing between japonica and Wattii. It is much superior to either of its parents. The stem with its many flowers, each one following close on the heels of another is beautifully branched. The flowers are larger than those of Wattii and have more color. If you can grow japonica you will find this worthwhile. He has registered it as Nada and I did intend to see to it that it was awarded an H. M. for it deserves it-all agree to it but no one attends to it.

Bulletin of the American Iris Society, February 1938,
Number 68. Report of Iris Show held in connection 'with the
Pasadena Flower Show, April 16, 17 and 18, 1937.
The most beautiful exhibit was a bowl of Nada (japonica X Wattii)
brought in by its originator, Mr. J. N. Giridlian. It was not
entered in competition but the judges insisted in giving it a
Special Avvard.
Bulletin of the American Iris Society, April 1949,
Number 113. Iris Japonica and its Hybrids, J.N. Giridlian,
California.The late W. R.Dykes, writing in The Gardeners' Chronicle of May 28, 1921, said,'Among the Evansias something good might come from the crossing of I. watti, which does so well when planted out in a cool house. It ought to cross with I. japonica ..." Mr. Dykes was unable to make the cross because he had no luck in flowering the plants and when they did at last bloom they did not respond to cross pollenization. At best they are shy seeders even in Southern California where they bloom profusely. It seems that Mr. J. C. Stevens, of Greenville, New York, and myself, working independently, made this cross at about the same time, except that I used the japonica type form and he used the variety Uwodu. At any rate the hybrids raised were both registered in the year 1936, and in both instances 'Watti was used as the pollen parent. The results obtained, while being equally lovely, are quite distinct in many respects. Mr. Stevens' variety was named Fairyland and mine Nada. The Fairyland plant is unlike either parent. The foliage is very narrow, dark green and superficially resembles a California species. It makes a very compact growth and is quite low-growing. It flowers in April on upright, short-branched stems,with many flowers nearly the size of watti. The color is white heavily and attractively spotted deep violet. It is a good pot plant. Nada has very large foliage, larger than either parent, bright green, which grows fan-shaped on 12-inch stems. Well grown plants will stand about three feet high. The flowers are produced earlier than Fairyland's and are a shade smaller than those of japonica, but much more numerous. I have had as many as 200 flowers on one stem over a three-month period. I think Nada has more flowers per stem and a longer blooming season than any other iris. The flowers are well ruffled, white with a slight lavender sheen with yellow crest and light lavender spotting in the haft. As the flower stem is strong and wiry, it is held up well and does not flop over. When cut, nearly every bud develops. It makes an excellent house or greenhouse plant and is very attractive when planted in a hanging basket.Nada is not sterile and will produce seeds either selfed or crossed back to either parent. However it is a very shy seeder and that is the reason why I have been unable to raise many more varieties from succeeding generation crosses. The only other one on the market now is a selfed seedling of Nada which is named Darjeeling. This is an improvement over Nada in size of flower and ruffling.

Bulletin of the Seattle Iris Society, November, 1947. Iris Nada,
Mrs F.B. Eylar, Seattle, Washington.
Though Nada, the beautiful little crested hybrid, isn't at all
happy in my garden and gets frosted each winter, I am always
hoping that some year will be warm enough for it to bloom. Our
garden is about 800 feet above the Lake and doesn't have the
protection of the fogs either. It would be interesting in the next
bulletin to have expressions from different members as to what
success they do have with it and how located in their garden, for
I do know that some members do have complete success with it.
Nada is a hybrid as the result of crossing two of the crested
type, japonica and watti. Japonica has orchid-like flowers of a
uniform shade of lavender on 2-foot stems with many branches
making a huge bouquet of one stem. The blooming season is very
early, February to April, so it is for sheltered gardens. The
blossoms of Nada are nearly exactly like japonica but the
background is white with very delicate shadings of the blue or
lavender. When examined closely, the blossoms are exquisitely
formed and marked. Many people call japonica Nada, which is
incorrect, as Nada is white "japonica."
Watti, the other parent, comes from the southern slopes of the
Himalaya mountains with growth habit more like a dwarf bamboo than
an iris. The fan of leaves is perched on top of a two- to four
foot stem. It is easy to detect the qualities of each of the
parents of the beautiful Nada. It has the large, graceful,
branched panicle of watti, also the rather bamboo effect in the
foliage-the beautiful golden 'crest of watti and the general form
of japonica. It is not a showy flower but most exquisite at close
range with its fringed style arms and waved petals. I certainly envy the favoured members
who can grow it successfully. Southern California Gardens, Victoria Padilla University of California Press, 1961
One of his earliest introductions was an iris cross that he called
'Nada' which, because of its evergreen foliage and dainty orchid like
quality of its numerous flowers, has become one of the most popular iris
of its kind in California and in the southern states.

Sunday, June 8, 2014

The graceful Iris figured in the accompanying plate was first
described by Thunberg in 1793, and named by him I. japonica. It
must before this have been introduced into England, for Mr. Baker
states that the Banksian herbarium contains a specimen from Kew
Gardens dried in 1792. Curtis figured it in the Botanical
Magazine, in 1797, as I. chinensis, and in Redoute's " Liliaceae "
it appears as I. fimbriata. On the ground of priority, which
certainly should in most cases decide a question of nomenclature,
the plant ought to be called I. japonica; but I. fimbriata is so happy a
term, and I. japonica so little distinctive a one, that I venture
in this case to break a wise rule and adopt the name I. fimbriata.
In a considerable number of Irises the fall or outer perianth
segment bears along the medium line of the claw and the adjacent
part of the blade not a beard composed of hairs, as in the
ordinary bearded Irises, but a crest — that is to say, a ridge cut
up into a number of tooth-like projections. These crested Irises,
as distinguished both from bearded Irises and from beardless
Irises, in which the whole of the fall is smooth and even, have
been classed together in a group under the name Evansia.

I have myself some doubts about the validity of this group, since,
on the one hand, a crest more or less developed appears in certain
bulbous Irises — ex.gr., in the Juno group — while traces
of a crest appear in some species whose allies are clearly
beardless ; and, on the other hand, the group, thus constituted by
the possession of a crest, seems to me to contain plants wholly
diverse from each other. Be that as it may, however, the Iris
which we are considering now is a crested Iris and belongs to this
group of Evansia.
It is a native of Japan (middle and southern islands) and of the
middle and southern regions of China. The rhizome bears, fanwise,
broad ensiform leaves, and sends out numerous runners or stolons,
by which it may be rapidly multiplied. The stem, I foot or 2 feet
high, is branched, bearing clusters of flowers. The individual
flowers are short-lived, lasting only for a couple of days or so,
but they are borne in profusion, a well-established plant giving a succession of flowers
lasting many weeks.

The plate gives a fair idea of the form of the flower, the crisped
and broken margins of the falls and standards, and especially the
fringed edges of the crests of the styles, justifying the name of
fimbriata, or fringed. But it is very difficult to reproduce the
charm of the colouring, the delicate light blue-purple or lavender
forming the ground colour of the whole flower harmonising pleasantly with the yellow
and orange of the crest by help of patches and veins of darker
purple scattered here and there. A well-grown plant with several
stems covered with these graceful flowers, which make up in
delicacy and refinement what they lack in size and depth of
colour, is a very acceptable sight ; and in a warm atmosphere a
slight, but agreeable, fragrance makes itself felt.

Although, as I have said, I doubt the solidarity of the Evansia
group as a whole, this I. fimbriata has certainly allies. Iris
tectorum, also a Japanese and Chinese plant, with its much larger
and more gaudy flowers, has many affinities with it ; and
intermediate between the two comes an Iris which was introduced by
seed from the Himalayas by Mr. Frank Miles, and which Mr. Baker
proposes to call I. Milesi. And I am inclined to think that the I.
nepalensis of Royle, when we come to know it more fully, will also
prove a very close neighbour, as indeed does an unnamed Iris from Lahul, which
M. Max Leichtlin has kindly given me, but which proves to be a
most difficult plant to grow. The I. nepalensis of Don, which is
identical with the I. decora of Wallich and with an Iris from
Kumaon called I. kumaonensis (which name accordingly ought to be
withdrawn), though a crested Iris, differs in most important
features from the others just named.

Confining ourselves to the narrower group to which I. fimbriata
belongs, we thus find that, while its centre is in China and
Japan, it stretches away westward to the Himalayas, where it
disappears. Strange as it may seem, and yet in accordance with
what we know of the laws governing the geographical distribution
of plants, we can pick up the group again if, moving eastward
instead of westward, we cross the Pacific Ocean and North American
continent, for the little Iris lacustris of the shores of Lake
Huron and I. cristata of the States of Virginia and Carolina are
not only crested Irises, but Irises in their essential features
closely allied to I. fimbriata. In accommodating themselves to
their American homes they have become dwarfed, though they have
not lost all their beauty. The effects of conditions of life are
still further seen in the little I. verna of the more northerly
Eastern States, for this seems to me to be in reality a crested
Iris which has lost its crest.
All the specimens which I have hitherto seen of I. fimbriata are
exactly alike. I have never met as yet with any distinct
variations. I have, however, in my possession two named kinds from Roozen, but as they have not yet flowered with me, I
can say nothing about them.

In this rough climate of England, I. fimbriata — save perhaps in
some southern paradisaical garden, such as that of Mr. Ewbank —
must be grown as a cool green- house pot plant. Even with me it
will live out of doors (I did not try it, however, in the winters
of 1879 to 1881), but it only lives. To flower adequately it must
have the protection of glass and the help of artificial warmth in
winter. In its native home it is found in moist and shady
situations, and must not, therefore, be dried off like I.
tectorum, which, as its name implies, may be and is grown in its
native home on a dry house-top.
I have not found it very particular as to soil ; a rich open one,
composed of loam, thoroughly rotten manure, a little peat perhaps,
and a good deal of sand, seems to me to suit it best ; with too
much peat the rhizome is apt to rot. I usually take a runner in
winter, grow it on during the rest of the winter, spring, and
early summer, shifting it from a 3-inch to a 4½-inch pot, and then
to a 5 -inch pot, giving plenty of water and a genial temperature.
By that time the pot has become well filled with roots and most of
the foliage has been made. I then place it out of doors, not
wholly in the shade, but exposed freely to our feeble English
sunshine, taking care that it never gets quite dry, but keeping
it, as respects water, rather stinted than otherwise during the
late summer and autumn. In the winter it comes back into the house
; as growth begins again water is given more freely, and,
according to the temperature to which it is exposed, the bloom may be
expected from Christmas, or even earlier, onwards. If the young
plant thus treated does not bloom the first winter, I keep it in
the same pot, or one slightly larger only — for it seems to do
rather better for being somewhat pot-bound, provided that it gets
adequate nourishment — and subject it to the same treatment. The
chief points of culture to be attended to seem to me to be — ample
moisture, air, and light in the winter and early part of the year,
and a season of comparative, but not absolute, rest during the
latter
half of summer and autumn.

M. Foster.

Published in 1885, I considered Sir Michael Fosters completely unabridged articles need once again to have some light shine upon the words and allow the readers see how
prescient the man was. T.J.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Widely regarded as significant parent 'Knotty Pine' is in
the parentage of hundreds of irises. (Used in breeding SDB Plicatas to
give 'better form believe', it or not) Knotty Pine is what I describe as
a progressive iris because the longer the bloom season gets going, the
blooms get to grow taller and grow out from the foliage from where the
earlier blooms seem play peak a bloom. Nice increase with great plant
health. Standards are a nice citrus honey when first open, that becomes a
more than pleasant honey tone with age. Falls are multi coloured browns
with striations on the hafts which the above photo does not do justice
to. Style arms a glowing amethyst colour. Extremely floriferous, just
covers itself in blooms, coupled with a long bloom season and just seems
to get better every year. An absolute must have median!!

The Iris Yearbook (BIS), 1964,"Lilliputs and All That", page 72, H. Senior Fothergill.Varietal comments on tall bearded irises are common place, but the
smaller bearded hybrids get far less attention, so let us, on this
occasion, review some of those wit h I.pumila blod in them , to the joys of which the iris world awakened when Paul Cook produced GREEN SPOT.
Brown;
KNOTTY PINE (1959) Here we have a brown, of general cafe-au-lait or
lion skin effect. The standards are a smoky, creamy yellow ; the falls
are tawny buff with a smoky maroon flush ; the orange tipped beards
varies between blue and white below. Those who only like unsophisticated
colours are not attracted, but I find it a very satisfying variety in
it's on right, and a most useful foil to show up the hues of nicely
selected neighbours. 10 inches.

Bulletin of the American Iris Society, July 1964, Number 174. Flight Lines, Plic Tricks, Keith Keppel.
Back in Monroe, Connecticut, Median Iris Society President Jack Goett is
working hard with the standard dwarf plicatas. Most stem from his
KNOTTY PINE, a tan bitone standard dwarf. CIRCLETTE, violet on white, is
from DALE DENNIS X KNOTTY PINE. Others are from KNOTTY PINE X PAT'S
PAL, a Rundlett dwarf plic out of PATRICE X CRETICA. Included in Jack's
progeny from KNOTTY PINE and PAT'S PAL are some TIFFANJA-patterned and
colored plics.

Region 14 Northern California, Nevada, Regional Bulletin, Spring
1964.'Carol Says', Carol Walters
.......here are notes of some of the median Iris which bloomed in
the Western Median Test garden Rio Linda as they appeared to me.
The descriptions of each median class given are taken from the
material on exhibition judging of median irises complied by
Crescent Deru for the Median Section of the American Iris Society.
Knotty Pine : The garden effect of this one is non-existent, but
it is charming to view close, especially looking down into the
flower. The standards are open and frilly, pale honey in color,
showing off the glowing style arms and the intricately patterned
falls of party brown velvet.

4~ Square Iris Gardens, Eau Claire,Wisconsin, Cold Climate Iris, 1982.
KNOTTY PINE (Goett 1961) Standards Tan, Falls Brown.(The reason I have include these short and to the point listings is
that the catalogue states 'plants are grown in a very harsh climate.
Temperatures from -40°F in winter and up to 100°F in the summer. Coupled
with the harsh climate is a short growing season' strongly indicates
'Knotty Pine' is a very hardy iris.)

Once again I have to say that there maybe a slight outside chance 'Knotty Pine'
is still commercially grown in New Zealand somewhere (can't say I had any success with this avenue), fortunately I
was able to purchase this plant on Trade Me from hctnz (Lyn Nell) a
Mid-Canterbury gardener who sends generous plants that have great plant
health and I have never had the slightest hesitation to highly recommend to visitors to this blog.
As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version.

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man".

George Bernard Shaw

WELCOME

HERITAGE IRISES

INDEPENDENT ALWAYS

Welcome to Heritage Irises, and
do make yourself at home. The blog shares the magic of Irises and
will feature some very special New Zealand raised varieties
including the brilliance of our very own Jean Stevens (1900-1967).
Each and every iris growing in New Zealand are a part of our Iris
Heritage and will all become historic or heirloom irises one day so
why not start early and give them all a good home! Writing and
researching about heirloom irises is just a hobby and the blog is my
diary notes and observations of the Irises I grow and like at
home.I'm really enjoying myself, although blogging is a lot like a
virus that invades the mind and body and you can't rid yourself of
it, in the nicest possibly way of course. Click on any photo to view
a larger image.

They took all the trees And put them in a tree museum Then they charged the people A dollar and a half just to see 'emDon't it always seem to go,That you don't know what you've got 'Til it's gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot Yellow Taxi

Joni Mitchell

A 10 year old 5.1 mega pixel Fuji Finepix S5600 digital camera has been used exclusively for all photos able to be viewed on the blog that are accredited to Iris Hunter. Why such an old camera you may ask? Well its an easy camera to work with, but more importantly it reinforces my view that you don't have to invest thousands of dollars in equipment to produce a reasonably swish Blog

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